Symbolic representation of the menopause, subjectivity and sexuality

Abstract

From a psychoanalytic and qualitative perspective, this text aims to account for the symbolic representation of the menopause. Since, with the advent of the menopause, there are psychic and biological changes that propitiate the reappearance of the Oedipus complex along with the emergence of feelings such as fear, anguish and sadness, together with a lack of sexual desire, all of which can form part of the symptomatology that characterizes it. To enrich what has
already been established —from the viewpoint of the psychoanalytical clinic— throughout this article we provide different perspectives from several specialists who have taken up the work of Freud and Lacan, and who support their positions regarding the subject studied. The primary objective of this work is to highlight the relevance of analyzing the biological and psychic effects of the menopause, which can lead to discomfort, and other symptoms, during this stage of a woman’s life.